Flush tank valve

ABSTRACT

A flush valve for toilet water tanks which comes as a unit and can be installed by setting it over the drainpipe and connecting it to the lift lever. The valve contains weights to hold the device in place and a buoyant sealing cup associated with a stem which operates in a sleeve.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Thomas Thomas 1110 Breezy Meadown Lane, Spencer, Iowa 51301 {2!} Appl, No. 59,457 [22 Filed July 30, 1970 Division of Ser. No. 796.264, Jan. 6. 1969. Pat. No. 3,555,572 [45] Patented Aug. 3,1971

[541 FLUSH TANK VALVE 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 4/58, 4/68 [51] Int. Cl E03d 1/34 [501 Field ofSearch ..4/52,56,56 PCF, 57, 57 P, 58,60, 61, 62, 63, 67, 67 A, 68

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 311,026 1/1885 ODonnell 4/60 2,206,235 7/1940 Powers A. 4/57 2,613,367 10/1952 Denham 4/58 2,736,903 3/1956 Wolf et al.. 4/57 2,894,264 7/1959 Walter 4/57 3,108,287 10/1963 Stallworth 4/56 3,172,129 3/1965 Fulton etal 4/60 3,478,368 11/1969 Brewington 4/57 FOREIGN PATENTS 900,444 7/1962 Great Britain 4/58 231,211 5/1944 Switzerland 4/58 Primary Examiner- Henry K Artis Attorney-Roy (3. Story ABSTRACT: A flush valve for toilet water tanks which comes as a unit and can be installed by setting it over the drainpipe and connecting it to the lift lever, The valve contains weights to hold the device in place and a buoyant sealing cup associated with a stem which operates in a sleeve.

PATENTED Am; 3 I97:

Inventor Thomas Thomas FLUSH TANK VALVE This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 796,264 filed Jan. 6, I969, now US. Pat. No. 3,555,572, granted Jan. 19, I971.

This invention relates to a flush valve for toilet water tanks and more particularly to a flush valve assembly which can be acquired as a unit and can be installed without any special mechanical skill.

The ordinary toilet bowl is flushed by tripping a valve mechanism in the water closet. The tripping action usually raises a valve closure device from its seat and permits the water to run out. When the water reaches a certain level in the tank, the valve automatically settles onto the valve seat and the tank again fills with water. Many types of valve assemblies have been proposed and most of them are rather complex mechanisms which are more or less permanently attached to the water tank by connections to the outlet pipe, the overflow pipe, or to other parts of the tank. Such assemblies are repaired by skilled plumbers who repair or replace certain parts rather than replace the entire unit. The units are usually not readily available and, if they were the common householder would not understand how to replace the unit.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a flushing unit which is easily installed and requires no attachment other than a loose linkage to the tripping arm of the water tank.

Another object of the invention is to produce a flush valve assembly which fits any ordinary toilet water tank and is economical to purchase and to install.

Also an object of the invention is to devise a flush valve assembly which can be set over or in the outlet of the water tank and be held in place by weights.

In accordance with the invention, the flush valve assembly contains a guide rod and sleeve which are attached by a loose linkage to the valve-lifting lever and are the only parts requiring any connection to the water tank. The rod and sleeve are so constructed that the sleeve slips up and down on the rod. The sleeve which slips up and down carries a buoyant sealing unit which automatically centers over the drainpipe. A diaphragm attached to the rod fits over the top of the drainpipe to form a watertight seal. Weights properly placed and associated with the rod enable the mechanism to assume and to maintain the proper position.

According to one aspect of the invention, the sleeve slides on the rod which is held in position by a weighted base. The base is of such shape and size that it will fit into the smallest commonly used drainpipes and yet of sufficient size to operate properly in the largest of ordinary toilet tank outlets. A diaphragm is secured between a nut on the rod and the base weight when the rod is screwed into the weight. The diaphragm has sufficient surface to allow for a considerable margin of error in placing the base in the outlet as the base may be slightly off center in case the outlet is larger than the weight. The bottom of the sleeve contains a thin, flexible, flat sealing surface which cooperates with the diaphragm to produce a watertight seal. The sealing surface is preferably made a part of the buoyant cup which in turn is attached to the sleeve. The top of the sleeve is closed and a ring thereon serves for the attachment thereto of the flushing arm by means of a chain or other linkage. The diaphragm is somewhat larger than the sealing surface and provides an outer perimeter surface or flange on the upper side of which water will exert a pressure which together with the weights prevents the diaphragm from rising when the sealing unit is pulled upwardly from it.

For purposes of further description and illustration of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the flush valve assembly connected to the manually operated lifting lever of the water chest.

FIG. 2 is an elevation partly in section of the valve assembly showing the valve in a substantially closed position on the drainpipe.

FIG. 3 is a top view along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top sectional view along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. l-5 show the embodiment in which the sleeve slides on the rod and the rod is held in position by a weighted base. The sleeve 10 is connected at its upper end by a chain 11 to the tripping arm 12 of a water tank [3. Attached to the lower end of the sleeve is a buoyant cup 15 containing at its bottom a flat sealing surface 16. The sleeve may be permanently attached to the buoyant cup or it may be detachably secured by threads 17 as shown in FIG. 2. Inside the sleeve 10 is a rod 18 which fits in operating relation in a bearing sleeve 20 of the buoyant cup 15. By means of the bearing sleeve 20, the sleeve 10 and the buoyant cup assembly can slide up and down on the rod 18. At the upper end of the rod is a stop 21 which also serves to hold the rod centered in the sleeve. Attached to the lower end of the rod 18 is a eight 22 which fits into the drainpipe 24 in the bottom of the water tank. Also attached to the rod 18 just above the weight is a diaphragm 25 having water openings 26 and a rather wide outer perimeter or flange 27 to fit on top of the drainpipe 24. The diaphragm 25 and the weight 22 are shown for purposes of illustration in FIG. 2 as threaded on the rod 18 and the diaphragm firmly held on top of the weight by a bur 28.

In the operation of the embodiment of FIGS. l--S, the water in the tank forces the sealing surface 16 down on the diaphragm to form a watertight seal. Wh it is desired to flush the tank, the arm 12 is lifted to break the seal between the surface 16 and the diaphragm 25. The buoyant cup will float and the water will run out through the holes 26 to the drainpipe 24. When the water reaches a certain level, the sealing unit will again settle down on the diaphragm to form a watertight seal as a result of the water pressure on the top of the surface 16. The valve assembly may be easily removed or installed by unfastening the linkage 11 from the arm 12 and lifting it out or lowering it into the drainpipe as the case may be. The size of the weight should be sufficient to hold the assembly in place. The weight should be sufficient to at least overcome any buoyancy of the assembly and sufficient to retain the weight in the drainpipe and to hold the diaphragm down tightly on the top of the drainpipe. A minimum weight of about of an ounce has been used but ordinarily a weight of about 2 or 3 ounces is preferable. The upper limit of the weight may vary considerably but it is desirable to avoid excessive weights because of economy and ease of handling.

The drawings are for purposes of illustration and the invention is not limited to the details of construction shown therein but many variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Iclaim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a flush valve assembly for a toilet water tank having a vertical drainpipe and a tripping lever, comprising a buoyant cup above the pipe, a centrally perforated flat diaphragm plate for abutting the upper end of the pipe, weight means adapted to loosely fit in said pipe and connected to said plate for urging it in sealing engagement with the upper portion of said pipe, a guide rod connected at its lower end to said weight means, a sleeve slidable on the upper portion of said rod and connected at its lower end to said buoyant cup, a detachable connecting means between the upper portion of said sleeve and the tripping lever, said cup being held by water pressure in sealing engagement with the top of said plate whereby flow of water through the apertured plate is prevented until said cup is raised by said tripping lever, and said assembly except for said detachable connecting means being unattached to the water tank and pipe.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which the plate is secured between a nut on the rod and the weight means.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which the cup contains a centrally located bearing sleeve through which the rod operates. 

1. As an article of manufacture, a flush valve assembly for a toilet water tank having a vertical drainpipe and a tripping lever, comprising a buoyant cup above the pipe, a centrally perforated flat diaphragm plate for abutting the upper end of the pipe, weight means adapted to loosely fit in said pipe and connected to said plate for urging it in sealing engagement with the upper portion of said pipe, a guide rod connected at its lower end to said weight means, a sleeve slidable on the upper portion of said rod and connected at its lower end to said buoyant cup, a detachable connecting means between the upper portion of said sleeve and the tripping lever, said cup being held by water pressure in sealing engagement with the top of said plate whereby flow of water through the apertured plate is prevented until said cup is raised by said tripping lever, and said assembly except for said detachable connecting means being unattached to the water tank and pipe.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which the plate is secured between a nut on the rod and the weight means.
 3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which the cup contains a centrally located bearing sleeve through which the rod operates. 